Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Gastroenterology for April 2018. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
MONDAY, April 30, 2018 -- Simultaneous liver-kidney transplant recipients' peripheral blood cells have unique phenotypic and functional characteristics that are associated with donor-specific hypo-alloresponsiveness, according to a study published online April 12 in Kidney International.
THURSDAY, April 26, 2018 -- A new clinic satisfaction tool improves communication and provides real-time feedback, according to a study published online April 14 in Neurosurgery.
FRIDAY, April 27, 2018 -- Potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use is relatively prevalent among patients with breast or colorectal cancer, though it is not associated with most adverse outcomes, according to a study published online April 24 in Cancer.
THURSDAY, April 26, 2018 -- From 1990 to 2014 there was a decrease in race-based disparities in years of life lost (YLL) in the United States, according to a study published online April 25 in PLOS ONE.
THURSDAY, April 26, 2017 -- The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and local agencies are holding the 15th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day across the country this Saturday, April 28.
WEDNESDAY, April 25, 2018 -- U.S. hospitals will have to post their standard prices online and make it easier for patients to access their electronic medical records, Medicare officials said Tuesday.
WEDNESDAY, April 25, 2018 -- Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have increased incidence of Parkinson's disease (PD), which is attenuated with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy, according to a study published online April 23 in JAMA Neurology.
TUESDAY, April 24, 2018 -- Alcohol consumption, specifically heavy drinking, may influence the oral microbiome composition, according to a study published online April 24 in Microbiome.
MONDAY, April 23, 2018 -- Flexible sigmoidoscopy screening is associated with reduced colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality in men, but not women, according to a study published online April 24 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
MONDAY, April 23, 2018 -- Ethnicity/race, markers of insulin resistance, and genetic factors might help identify obese youth at risk for developing fatty liver, according to a study published online April 17 in Hepatology.
MONDAY, April 23, 2018 -- Patients prefer physicians who engage in face-to-face (F2F) clinic visits, rather than those using an examination room computer (ERC), according to a research letter published online April 19 in JAMA Oncology.
FRIDAY, April 20, 2018 -- Compared to patients with private insurance, colon cancer survival is lower for patients with no insurance or with Medicaid, according to a study published in the May issue of Diseases of the Colon & Rectum.
THURSDAY, April 19, 2018 -- Recent policy changes have led to a decline in the prescribing of gluten-free foods in England, according to research published online April 16 in BMJ Open.
WEDNESDAY, April 18, 2018 -- Heavy use of opiates among patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is tied to increased risk of premature all-cause death, according to a study published in the April issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
WEDNESDAY, April 18, 2018 -- Patients who undergo elective stoma reversal have a higher incidence of postoperative Clostridium difficile infection versus patients who undergo elective colectomy, according to a study published in the May issue of Diseases of the Colon & Rectum.
TUESDAY, April 17, 2018 -- Use of short-acting calcium channel blockers (CCBs) is associated with increased risk of pancreatic cancer in postmenopausal women, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, held from April 14 to 18 in Chicago.
TUESDAY, April 17, 2018 -- Males with BRCA mutations have increased incidence of malignant disease, specifically prostate, melanoma, pancreas, and breast cancers, according to a research letter published online April 12 in JAMA Oncology.
TUESDAY, April 17, 2018 -- Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is prevalent among patients with chronic hepatitis B (HBV) infection, according to a study published online March 29 in Diabetes Care.
MONDAY, April 16, 2018 -- Transplantation of organs from overdose-death donors (ODDs) is associated with similar five-year patient survival and graft survival as organs from trauma-death donors (TDDs) and medical-death donors (MDDs), according to a study published online April 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
MONDAY, April 16, 2018 -- In a position paper published online April 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, recommendations are provided aimed at addressing gender equity in physician compensation and career advancement opportunities.
MONDAY, April 16, 2018 -- Transcription factors (TFs) seem to operate across gene loci, according to a study published online April 16 in Nature Genetics.
MONDAY, April 16, 2018 -- Volumetric laser endomicroscopy (VLE) users can identify regions of interest for potential Barrett's esophagus (BE) dysplasia with a high degree of agreement, according to a study published online April 6 in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
MONDAY, April 16, 2018 -- The estimated annual cost of drug-related morbidity and mortality resulting from nonoptimized medication therapy is more than half a trillion dollars in the United States, according to a study published online March 26 in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy.
FRIDAY, April 13, 2018 -- Adherence to the American Cancer Society Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Survivors (ACS guidelines) is associated with improved survival for patients with stage III colon cancer, according to a study published online April 12 in JAMA Oncology.
THURSDAY, April 12, 2018 -- The burden of prior authorization (PA) has increased over the past five years, and 92 percent of physicians report associated delays in access to care, according to the results of a survey published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
THURSDAY, April 12, 2018 -- The prevalence of depression and anxiety are increased among survivors of colorectal cancer (CRC), according to a study published online April 6 in Cancer.
THURSDAY, April 12, 2018 -- Individuals with a later chronotype have increased mortality risk, according to a study published online April 12 in Chronobiology International.
TUESDAY, April 10, 2018 -- Changes can be implemented to help reduce physician frustration with electronic health records (EHRs), according to an article published in Medical Economics.
TUESDAY, April 10, 2018 -- There are considerable differences in the burden of disease at the state level, according to a study published in the April 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
TUESDAY, April 10, 2018 -- For older adults, dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP-4Is) are not associated with increased risk of acute pancreatitis, according to a study published online April 4 in Diabetes Care.
TUESDAY, April 10, 2018 -- Whole body computed tomography (WBCT) is not associated with reduced mortality compared with a selective CT approach among children with blunt trauma, according to a study published online April 9 in JAMA Pediatrics.
FRIDAY, April 6, 2018 -- New interns' intense and changing schedules take a toll on sleep, activity, and mood, according to a study published online March 14 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
FRIDAY, April 6, 2018 -- Increased adiposity in childhood may negatively impact liver function in children as young as 8 years old, according to a study published online April 4 in The Journal of Pediatrics.
THURSDAY, April 5, 2018 -- Online physician reviews do not reflect patient satisfaction surveys (PSSs), according to a study published in the April issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
THURSDAY, April 5, 2018 -- The Affordable Care Act's Marketplaces covered a disproportionate share of non-elderly adults with high health care risks in the 2014 to 2015 time period, according to a study published in the April issue of Health Affairs.
WEDNESDAY, April 4, 2018 -- There is considerable variation in the quality of free-text patient directions (Sig) in electronic prescriptions (e-prescriptions), according to a study published online April 2 in the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy.
TUESDAY, April 3, 2018 -- Alcohol consumption early in pregnancy may be a risk factor for the development of gastroschisis in neonates, according to a study published recently in the Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine.
MONDAY, April 2, 2018 -- The use of acid-suppressive medications and antibiotics during the first six months of infancy is tied to subsequent development of allergic disease, according to a study published online April 2 in JAMA Pediatrics.
MONDAY, April 2, 2018 -- Perceptions of the organ donation experience vary between relatives who decide to donate their relative's organs and those who do not, but the decision does not appear to be associated with subsequent grief symptoms, according to a study published online March 19 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.